Town News Briefing

January 16, 2004

CHESTER

Grand List Filing, Appeals

Extended For A Month

CHESTER-- Assessor Patricia Stevenson has announced a one-month extension for filing the October 2003 grand list that also extends the deadline for property owners seeking to appeal their new assessments.

Stevenson said the new grand list that would usually be due Jan. 30 would be filed Feb. 27. She said the extension was necessary because of the increased volume of work required by the 2003 interim townwide property revaluation.

The delay in filing the grand list has also extended from Feb. 20 to March 20, the deadline for filing assessment appeals to the board of assessment appeals. Property owners seeking to appeal their new assessments may obtain an application at the assessor's office at town hall or from the town web site, www.chesterct.com/permits. Appeal applications must be filed by March 20.

WESTBROOK

Stolen Tools Found

In Pawn Shop

WESTBROOK -- Most of the power tools stolen from a rescue truck at the Westbrook Fire Department last month turned up at a pawn shop in New Britain recently and are now headed back to the department, according to a department official.

All the stolen tools are worth an estimated $4,500.

State police recovered four of the six stolen chain saws at the pawn shop along with a set of hand tools, Assistant Chief Ralph Buck said. Police seem confident they will recover the remaining chainsaws, Buck added.

The tools were discovered missing during the department's twice-a-month inventory check. Police have a suspect, Buck said, ending speculation the theft might have been an inside job.

"It has absolutely nothing to do with our firefighters," he said. "We do lock the station but people can get in and out. ... We do have people coming in and out to do work all the time."

EAST HAMPTON

Motorist, Snowplow

Operator Hurt In Crash

EAST HAMPTON -- An icy roadway and excessive speed were factors Thursday in a collision between a car and a state snowplow on Route 66 that injured two town residents, police said.

The driver of a Pontiac Bonneville traveling west on Route 66 around 11:21 a.m. lost control of the vehicle at the base of a steep hill near the Barton Hill Road intersection. The car slid directly into the path of the oncoming snowplow, investigators said.

The car, driven by Linda Snyder, 42, of 11 Hayes Road, East Hampton, hit the snowplow blade with the right front corner and side, Sgt. Michael Green said.

Snyder was flown by Life Star helicopter to Hartford Hospital, officials said.

The driver of the snowplow, Jerry L. Damon, 54, of 42 Lake Road, East Hampton, was taken by ambulance to the Marlborough Clinic and treated for minor injuries, police said. Snyder was issued a written warning for traveling too fast for conditions, authorities said.

Traffic in both directions on Route 66 was diverted for about two hours onto Barton Hill Road, via Maple Street, while emergency crews cleared the scene, police said.

EAST HAMPTON

Early Childhood Group

To Meet On Wednesday

EAST HAMPTON -- The East Hampton Early Childhood Council will meet at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Memorial Elementary School Library.

The meeting is open to all parents and caregivers of preschool children. New members are always welcome.

AREAWIDE

Mammography

Screenings Planned

The Portland Visiting Nurse Association will offer mammography screenings Jan. 27 at the East Hampton Municipal Center, 105 Main St.

Uninsured women are eligible for free mammograms. For those who are insured, most plans -- including Medicare and Medicaid -- are accepted and can be billed.

The screening is being made possible by a grant from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation-Connecticut Race for the Cure.

Appointments are necessary. For more information or to make an appointment, call the Portland VNA at 860-342-3300.

AREAWIDE

Twins Executive

To Address Chamber

Terry Ryan, vice president and general manager of the Minnesota Twins, is scheduled to speak today at the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce monthly member breakfast meeting.

The breakfast will be from 7:45 to 9 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Cromwell. The cost is $17 for chamber members and $27 for nonmembers. Webster Bank is sponsoring the meeting.

Ryan was named the 2002 Sporting News Executive of the Year for his work in assembling the Twins, which won the American League Central Division title that year.

The team named Ryan its vice president and general manager in 1994. He is responsible for negotiating contracts and overseeing the coaching staff as well as the entire baseball department.

Ryan pitched professionally in the Twins' minor-league system for four seasons in the 1970s, going 10-0 at the start of the 1973 season before an arm injury cut his career short. In 1975, Ryan enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a degree in physical education in 1979.